8:32 PM:Michael Bourn is out of the Braves lineup for the fourth straight game tonight due to a jammed left thumb suffered on a head-first slide Saturday. Braves hand specialist Gary Lourie believes there’s no structural damage in the thumb, but David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitutionreports that the speedy center fielder was sent for a precautionary MRI earlier today to confirm.

The Braves have already wrapped up one of the Wild Cards, so they understandably want to play things safe, but Bourn hasn’t ruled out the possibility of returning for the series opener against the Mets tomorrow night assuming the MRI comes back clean.

“I wanted to play as soon as I can, but I knew the day after (injuring it), it was too sore,” Bourn said. “It swelled up the day after. But now most of the swelling’s gone. Some of the soreness is gone and it’s starting to feel better, but they just didn’t want me to rush out there and have any setbacks, which I can understand.”

Bourn, 29, is batting .274/.346/.391 with a .737 OPS and 93 runs scored in 151 games this season and leads the National League with 39 stolen bases. The impending free agent has established new career-highs with nine home runs and 56 RBI.